The Spirit of the Patriot Fist
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: If Republic star destroyers and droids can be sentient, so can the Separatist destroyers, dreadnoughts and frigates, reasonably. A story about the mighty Commerce Guild support destroyer, Patriot Fist, her Admiral and droid crew, and the commitment to patriotism and friendship. A Battle of Coruscant story.
1. Meet Patriot Fist

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Star Wars; Mr. Lucas and Mr. Filoni do. Don't sue me for this, please; I'm just having some fun with an interesting concept here.

**A/N:** This fanfic was inspired by **spikala's** fanfic **"The Last Voyage of the Endurance."** It's my own version of a sentient warship, except this time it's a Separatist destroyer instead of a Republic cruiser. _Patriot Fist_ was shown in the book _"Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections,"_ and was said to have participated in the Battle of Coruscant in _"Revenge of the Sith."_ Enjoy!

* * *

_"I say, the Republic really is stubborn if it can hold out against our passionate armada this long," remarked a B1 battle droid pilot._

_"Do not speak out of turn, OM-54," said an emotionless T-series tactical droid standing nearby on the bridge of the Separatist destroyer._

_"Sorry, sir," apologized OM-54. "I just thought we could use a little commentary on how the Republic-"_

_"You are speaking out of turn again, OM-54," the tactical droid repeated. "One more time and you will be-"_

_"Leave him alone, TR-77," said the dark-skinned human woman in uniform watching the space outside the viewport. "He has a right to talk about the blasted Republic, too."_

_"But Admiral Terakk," said TR-77, "most organic Separatist commanders cannot stand to listen to the irreverent chattiness of the B1 and OOM droids. I am surprised you have never minded that."_

_"That's because droids, even emotionless ones like yourself, are just as capable of being self-aware as organics like me," said Aravis Terakk. "You should open your eyes to that fact sometime soon, especially considering that we are soon going to enter what might be the most devastating battle ever in the Clone Wars. We're going to need all the muscle and firepower we can muster to take Coruscant, and _Patriot Fist_ cannot wait to fight the Jedi and clones, either."_

_"Admiral, sir," said TR-77 blandly, "the _Patriot Fist_ is just another expendable ship in the Confederate Navy. It doesn't live any more than I do, or OM-54, for that matter. And it can be replaced easily."_

_"That hurts," remarked OM-54 morosely._

_"You said it, OM-54," said another B1 numbered UH-3._

_"_Patriot Fist_ is my ship," argued Terakk, "And she can't be replaced. She's like a partner in warfare to me. She's survived many more battles in this war than many other _Recusant_-class light destroyers have, and she is not going down without the fight of her life. I know that because she an extension of me, a proud one that will make the Confederacy proud in turn."_

* * *

In the Minntooine system in the Outer Rim, _Patriot Fist_ was snoozing to the sound of her engines near the planet Minntooine.

She had indeed always felt proud of her standing as an elite warship of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. She was not called _"Patriot Fist"_ for nothing. Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy, had predicted that she had a great destiny ahead of her when she was constructed, more so than so many other Commerce Guild support destroyers. Apparently, he had sensed it through the voice of something he called the Force. _Patriot Fist_ didn't understand what the Force was, exactly, but it appeared to have something to do with being in charge of the affairs of the galaxy. And if that were true, then she was confident that great things were ahead of her.

Minntooine was the planet and system where she had been built originally. Quarren radicals of the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps had made an assembly line of these support destroyers, and they had served their purpose well, even if so many of them had been destroyed and "replaced" in battle. Although their design had originally been a Mon Calamari design, _Patriot Fist_ and many other _Recusants_ felt a sense of belonging with the former Quarren Isolation League. She wasn't sure what had led her commander to bring her back to Minntooine's orbit at first, but many other Commerce Guild destroyers, plus even more Banking Clan frigates, were congregated in the general area, and she had heard that they were preparing for a great battle in the center of the galaxy, against the very heart of the corrupt Republic.

Admiral Aravis Terakk. How fortunate that _Patriot Fist_ had been assigned to her of all Separatist officers! As idealistic as the Separatist cause was, she was aware that many Separatist commanders saw their ships and droids as expendable, and fought either for the thrill of war or to achieve their own personal ends. But not Admiral Terakk. Ever since her first trial run with her, _Patriot Fist_ knew that the good Admiral was not out for a personal or selfish agenda, nor did she consider her, or the droid crew, to be expendable. She merely supported the Confederate cause for what it was, a bid for independence from a government gone rotten.

And Terrak went easy on her when she made mistakes, too. She often pretended not to notice them when they happened, and when she didn't, she would act very professionally and get right to the heart of the matter, never giving into any "it can't be done" remarks from her tactical droid. That was an interesting concept to think about, an organic Separatist Admiral who was smarter than the brilliant but arrogant tactical droids employed by the Confederate Navy and Separatist Droid Army.

_Patriot Fist_ started to rouse herself from her slumber, and with her sensors and command bridge that served for her eyes and ears, she looked around at the other Separatist ships around her. It saddened her a little that many of the other _Recusant_-class destroyers were relatively silent and kept to themselves except when fighting side-by-side in battle. She knew that they often had a much lower self-esteem than she did, perhaps due to the fact that they were made off of an assembly line and were considered cheap and easily replaceable. The _Munificent_-class star frigates, however, despite being subject to the same poor attitude, were quite chatty, like the B1 and OOM battle droids. It probably had to do with the fact that they were designed to be naturally born communication ships in the Navy. _Munificents_ were supposed to channel hyperwave supralight transceivers with their antennae, while hindering sensors and targeting systems with their jamming devices. They also helped broadcast Confederate propaganda on the Republic HoloNet to blind and isolate loyalist forces. As a result, _Munificent_-class frigates tended to talk to each other a lot about the evils of the Republic and what each of them had in mind to do to stop them.

To pass some time, _Patriot Fist_ decided to see what sort of conversationalists two nearby Banking Clan frigates were that day. Their designated names were _Earth Mammon_ and _Deep Thought_. With names like that, thought _Patriot Fist_, they must have a lot to say about money and thinking.

* * *

**A/N:** The name "Deep Thought" is from a computer of the same name in the book _"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."_ "Aravis" is also the name of one of my favorite heroines in _"The Chronicles of Narnia,"_ and "Terakk" is a respelling of "Terak," the chief villain in _"Ewoks: The Battle for Endor."_


	2. The Peace Before the War

Star Wars belongs to Lucas and Lucasfilm, and Disney and Lucasbooks.

Like **spikala** did in his **"Endurance"** fan fiction, I've italicized the speeches that Patriot Fist hears through her microphone/speaker system. I just thought I'd throw that in there for clarification.

* * *

"_What do you think makes this ship different from most other Separatist battleships, IN-09?" said a B1 battle droid in the torpedo bay._

""_Well, I know that it has survived many battles and shown some muscle against numerous Republic star destroyers, if that's what you mean, PP-123," said IN-09, another battle droid._

"_It isn't just that. I think that we all feel like… like we've molded into this ship, or it's molded around us, like it owns us instead of us owning it," suggested PP-123._

"_You mean you think this ship can do things like we droids can do?" asked IN-09 in surprise. "Come on. Of course it can. It fires weapons at Republic spacecraft, and it transports us to war hotspots."_

"_No, no," said PP-123, "It's like the ship owns us and the Admiral has a bond with it!"_

"_Then, for the Confederacy's sake, let the Admiral think about that!" exclaimed IN-09, "We're droids, and all we're programmed to do is fight and obey orders."_

"_Maybe," said PP-123, "But I still think we, and this ship, _could_ be something more."_

* * *

Chatting with the other Separatist ships over the radio waves had certainly been enlightening for _Patriot Fist_. _Earth Mammon_ talked about how her Muun captain was looking forward to profiting from the upcoming battle when they smashed Coruscant, and _Deep Thought_ was intrigued by the possibilities of how the CIS would celebrate their victory when they won. A lot of the other destroyers and frigates were simply eager to enter battle, and _Invisible Hand_, a _Providence_-class carrier/destroyer which would serve as General Grievous' flagship, had sentiments similar to those of the half-crazed cyborg general, sentiments of wanting to see so many Jedi die.

_Patriot Fist_ sometimes felt like her sister warships were too eager for straightforward battle and didn't think enough about what sort of consequences a victory (or a defeat) could mean for the Confederacy. There were some exceptions, such as _Deep Thought_ and herself, and some of the more customized capital ships like those owned by private militias, but the corporate flotillas usually centered on the thrill of battle and the crushing of the Republic and the Jedi. And while she, too, looked forward to battle and wanted to see the corrupt Jedi stopped in their tracks, _Patriot Fist_ was more of a gentle lady, as in a female gentleman, and a warrior who fought to defend what the Confederacy of Independent Systems protected: their homes and loved ones, their right to liberty and sovereignty of star systems, and freedom from the ever-growing humanocentricism of the Republic.

Yes, she was aware that even within the Republic, many citizens resented aliens, and for no good reason, or for no reason at all. She was also always afraid that one day, if the Republic won, the freedoms and liberties of aliens and Confederate humans might end for a very long time.

Nonetheless, with all these Separatist ships gathered together to sneak up on Coruscant and attack it, _Patriot Fist_ was confident that they would win the war this time. Her partly hollowed out interior near her front end housed and sheltered many vulture droids and droid tri-fighters to unleash on those ghastly Jedi interceptors and ARC-170's the Jedi and the clones flew into battle. Like all _Recusant_-class light destroyers, she also had many giant, forward-facing laser and turbolaser cannons, and she and her gunners (the best in the Confederate Navy) really knew how to use them to maximum effect.

Unlike a lot of other battle droids reportedly, her crew was among the most skilled fighting soldiers in the Navy, and they were proud (insofar as a droid could be proud) to serve her, although she had noticed that not all of them saw her as a sentient being.

She sometimes forgot that these droids came off an assembly line, like her. Their chatty personalities made them seem as alive as an organic being, so much so that she was convinced that they so much shut down when they were destroyed as they died. And yet, they were made much the same way that the clones of the Republic were made, cheaply and off of machines.

The wonders of the galaxy never ceased to amaze her.

She decided to take a look around through her security cameras to see what people were doing. In the decks, battle droids and super battle droids were talking about things droids normally talk about, like Republic dogs, Jedi, and loose circuits. Elsewhere, other droids were doing target practice together, while still others worked on the maintenance of the starfighters. And on the bridge, TR-77 was amusing himself by listening to the commentaries of the B1 and OOM pilot crew and thinking to himself how ridiculous it was for droids to imitate living people, calling it a weakness. The battle droids sometimes complained about his comments, but he reminded them that he was in charge of them, until the Admiral reminded _him_ that she was first in command of _Patriot Fist_, not him.

Finally, she noticed that said Admiral Terakk was having a conversation with two old friends over the mini hologram in the center of the bridge. She noticed that the Admiral had to keep reminding the tactical droid not to interrupt with his remarks about the weaknesses of human feelings and emotions.

"_Hey, Aravis!" said a young man who looked to be about her age. "I hope you're still doing all right out there in the middle of this blasted war."_

"_Don't worry, Corey," she replied, "I've told you this war is not going to go on much longer. We'll soon be facing the Jedi and the Republic at Coruscant, and we'll cut out the Republic's influence at the heart!"_

"_I just don't like to have to think about you out there, alone, without me to lend you support," said Corey. "I want you to come home safely."_

"_And I've told you that in a massive war I can't promise anything," Aravis countered. "But you know that I would never betray you, or the Separatist cause, and with my baby Patriot Fist and her crew to gun for me, I can still win. I'll see you… whenever I can see you."_

_Corey shook his head, but smiled weakly. "If you say so, Aravis," he said._

"_I love you, Corey," said the Admiral. "I always will, even in death."_

_Corey's smile grew stronger. "I know."_

Patriot Fist had to admit to herself that as much as she appreciated her Admiral's loyalty, she didn't fully understand human feelings herself, though she thought she understood them better than the cold tactical droid did. She chose not to listen to anything more for the moment and collect her own thoughts while she and her sisters continued to wait for the call to battle.

* * *

**Please R&R!**


	3. The Voyage and the Battle

"_Admiral Terakk," came the call from the _Invisible Hand_ about one hour later._

"_Yes, General Grievous?" asked Admiral Terakk. She did not enjoy talking to the bloodthirsty Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies, knowing how much he enjoyed killing anyone who displeased him, but he was still her superior officer, so she showed her respect._

"_The time has come," said General Grievous, "It's time to prepare for our finest hour. Prepare the Patriot Fist for launch into hyperspace to Coruscant."_

_The Admiral allowed herself a small smile. The time had finally come to take the capital of the Republic and win this dreadful war. "Acknowledged, General," she said, "Preparing for launch." She turned to her crew. "This is our moment of glory and triumph, men. I predict a victory unlike any other ahead of us. And I'm certain that _Patriot Fist_ is going to enjoy this too, the ultimate triumph of liberty over oppression in the galaxy."_

"_Sir," said TR-77 in his same bland tone as before, "I still do not understand how you can talk about this ship as if it were a living thing. It is just as much a machine as I am, as well as the rest of the droids aboard this ship."_

"_TR-77, I don't expect you to fully understand," said Terakk, "but there is a bond between a captain and her ship that cannot be broken, and I share that bond with all of you as well, chatty and emotionless though you may be."_

"_But most other Separatist commanders do not care about their ships or their droids as much as you do, sir," said UH-3._

"_Well then, I suppose I'm a breed apart," replied Terakk, smiling. "A Separatist military officer can't always be cold and unfeeling toward her so-called cold and unfeeling ship and crew."_

* * *

_Patriot Fist_ basked in the moment. At last, the time had come to go to battle in the center of the Core and cut out the Republic at the heart. She hadn't failed to notice that her loyal Admiral was anticipating this move, too. It was mighty good to see that they shared the same sentiments of this move.

She and the other Separatist ships in the fleet cruised into formation for the jump into light speed. It was a fleet unlike any other in many a millennium. Its size was grand, and its armor and firepower were grown beyond devastating. It was good to hear that the other ships in the fleet shared _Patriot Fist's_ feeling of triumph and victory. Of course, they each had their own more specific thoughts about what they looked forward to doing to the Republic dogs, and it often reflected what their respective commanders and captains thought and felt about a winnable battle against the Republic. For instance, _Invisible Hand_ shared Grievous' sentiment that it was going to be sweet to take out more Jedi Knights and crush the entire Galactic Senate.

As they all made the jump to light speed, _Patriot Fist_ knew that she looked forward to fighting not only for her government, nor merely for the killing of many enemies, but to kill many enemies so that people back in Confederate worlds could be safer and happier, people like Admiral Aravis Terakk's fiancé Corey and her other friends and family. Aravis and Corey were both from Raxus Secundus, the planet where Mina Bonteri and her son Lux previously served as senators. _Patriot Fist_ could understand why her Admiral was puzzled over the defection of many Separatists like said Lux Bonteri. Why would anyone want to give up star system sovereignty and go back to the union of corruption where the Republic government forced its will on innocent people?

The voyage was by secret coordinates given to General Grievous by an anonymous source. _Patriot Fist_ was herself confused over where these coordinates were found. How could any Separatist spies be so knowledgeable of the hyperspace routs that they could sneak up on Coruscant so easily? She wondered if there was more to this attack than the General and Count Dooku had let on.

In the end, she decided it was none of her business, she being a spaceship built for combat and not much else. Perhaps Admiral Terakk would find out what it was about some time. Still, it was a little unsettling. She knew that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine couldn't be trusted, anyway, and that was part of the reason that another purpose of this invasion was to capture the Chancellor and hold him as ransom for the end of the Republic's reign. Oh, that would be delicious irony, the leader of the Republic in chains, and the common people finally surrendering to the Confederacy and its cause!

* * *

At last, they came out of hyperspace and into Coruscant space. Their massive armada caught the numerous _Venator_-class star destroyers surrounding the galactic capital by surprise, to say the least. She heard Admiral Terakk give the order to attack.

"_Launch the first wave of tri-fighters and vulture droids," Aravis ordered. "Pull into formation with _Recusants Vapor Blast, Beneficent,_ and _Valorous_ to take out those star destroyers directly in front of us one by one."_

"_Yes sir," said TR-77. The tactical droid and the battle droid crew moved to obey the orders. "Fire the heavy turbolaser cannons at the nearest star destroyer."_

They opened fire, and the Jedi cruisers soon started to break up under the heavy fire. The tri-fighters and vulture droids shot down every clone fighter and Jedi interceptor in the area. C-9979 landing craft detached from _Patriot Fist_ and other capital ships to take hundreds of thousands of droids and organic soldiers to the surface of the planet.

In only fifteen minutes, all the star destroyers and cruisers orbiting Coruscant were either crippled or destroyed, and almost a million droid and organic troops, but primarily droids, had devastated the surface, dropping explosives on public and private property alike and frightening the heck out of anyone who wasn't killed by the blasters and bombs.

* * *

As the battle progressed, more Jedi cruisers and ARC-170's entered it, shooting down countless Separatist fighters in their wake. The Republic destroyers, meanwhile, started to fire their own turbolasers and turrets at the Separatist destroyers, dreadnoughts, and frigates. The fight was still in the Separatist's favor, though, and _Patriot Fist_ took pride that, as usual, she was able not only to survive for so long, but that she showed the patriotism that was her namesake so well.

"_How are the gunners doing, TR-77?" asked Admiral Terakk._

"_Surprisingly well, Admiral," said the tactical droid, "IN-09 and PP-123 are doing a particularly effective job with the speed that they load and reload the turbolasers, and RB-115 and his own company of gunners have shot down a total of five hundred ARC-170's and V-Wings. The turbolasers have also destroyed a total of ten Republic star destroyers, and offered plenty of punishment to thirty more. The rest of the fleet appears to have the upper hand against the Republic armada. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha."_

"_Very good, TR-77," said the Admiral, "But please don't laugh like that. You know it gets on my nerves."_

"_I just thought I could join in the amusement of our enemy's low chances of victory, sir," the droid said, as usual, without any emotion._

"_TR-77, I'm glad to hear that even you have some enthusiasm for the Separatist cause," said Terakk, "but you do have some odd ways of showing it, you know."_

"_I apologize, sir," said TR-77._

_Admiral Terakk smiled once more, knowing not only that she could win this battle, but that she was not truly alone with her crew with her, inorganic though it was. Nonetheless, she still missed her Corey, and wondered what he could be going through if he was watching the progress of the battle._

And _Patriot Fist_ had a lot of friends among the other Separatist flagships, too, with whom she knew she was not alone, either. And once this battle was won, well… technically, spacecraft couldn't celebrate like people could, but it would still be a grand victory.

* * *

Well into the battle, she heard word that General Grievous had successfully captured Chancellor Palpatine and had him held prisoner on _Invisible Hand._ This would be good cause for celebration. But then, Republic reinforcements suddenly appeared from out of deep space. _Patriot Fist_ and Admiral Terakk both recognized them as the Open Circle Fleet. Uh oh, this couldn't be good, they both thought. That was the fleet of the legendary Clone Wars Jedi heroes, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. And every Confederate knew that those two partners were extremely difficult to beat.

But _Patriot Fist_ and her Admiral decided that they would continue to be brave and toughen it out. They had started this, just like the rest of the Separatist fleet, and they were going to finish it.


	4. Patriot Fist Goes Down

"_Any recommendations on what to do now, TR-77?" asked Admiral Terakk._

"_The best I can suggest for someone such as yourself, sir," said TR-77, "is to keep fighting. We still have a distinct advantage over the Republic dogs, and even Jedi like Skywalker and Kenobi could not possibly turn the tide that easily that swiftly. Unless, of course, Invisible Hand is destroyed and the Chancellor is rescued."_

"_That isn't going to happen," said Terakk, "Not on my chrono. Patriot Fist has been in a hundred battles and won and she's not about to lose now."_

"_But sir, even if we survive the battle, we will suffer in disgrace if we have to retreat, and we may never get a second chance to take out Coruscant," said TR-77._

"I_ won't be disgraced, at any rate," replied Terakk. "I love Corey, but I'd rather die fighting for the Confederate cause than become a prisoner and a plaything for the Chancellor and the Senate. I owe Corey, and my family and my other friends that much."_

"_Then we are all willing to go down with you, sir, if necessary," said UH-3._

"_I concur," said OM-54._

"_So do I, sir," intoned TR-77._

"_And so do the rest of us, sir," the other pilot battle droids said in unison, and they all stood up proudly for their Admiral._

_Now this is what Admiral Aravis Terakk liked, a crew that was as loyal to her and the Separatist cause as she was to her ship. She smiled yet again and said, "Acknowledged, gentlemen."_

* * *

_Patriot Fist_ appreciated this, too. She had to be the most fortunate of all Separatist vessels to have people like these onboard. They would show the Republic that _they_ would not back down, no matter what the Jedi or the clones, or the Republic captains and admirals threw at them.

Admiral Terakk continued to order her droid crew to fire their laser cannons and turbolasers with all they had. Star destroyers and Republic fighters were torn up like mown grass as they proceeded to attempt their own attack. However, by now, _Patriot Fist_ had unleashed most of her payload of fighters, and it appeared that many of them had been destroyed by clone fighters; she couldn't tell for sure, because although she could recognize her fighters, if any remained, they were lost in a sea of tri-fighters and vultures from the countless Separatist ship surrounding her.

Suddenly, a powerful blast, probably from a nearby _Venator_-class Jedi cruiser's turbolaser, blasted the side of her, significantly weakening her shields. One of the few things she and Admiral Terakk didn't like about the _Recusant_-class light destroyer was that, if its shields failed, the ship was very vulnerable to enemy fire, and could be destroyed easily, especially if it had a droid brain, rather than a crew like _Patriot Fist_ had. This kind of damage had happened to her before, in battles taking place back in the Ando, Minntooine, and Sy Mirth star systems, but each of those times, she came out of it while still being space-worthy, and her damages had always been repairable. Of course, those battles were on a much smaller scale than this one, and if Patriot Fist became vulnerable enough, she could easily perish out here, near the accursed Republic's capital.

As if to add insult to injury, it seemed that the Admiral had caught sight of something, something small, and approaching at speed. Patriot Fist followed her gaze and her own sensors.

"_Those are the Jedi interceptors of Skywalker and Kenobi!" she said in alarm and anger. "TR-77, can the shields be repaired in time for them to get here?"_

"_They cannot," said tactical droid TR-77, "The shields need more time to recover before they can be at full charge again."_

_Aravis Terakk was not like many other captains and admirals, who insisted or complained against the homespun truths their crew gave them in a crisis situation. She was willing to accept, and understand, that a situation was risky, because she had been in several of them before. She took a deep breath and said, "All right. Let's not panic. We still have a handful of our best tri-fighters onboard the ship, and Invisible Hand, which, by the way, seems to be their target, has many vultures protecting it. We can still salvage this victory we all looked forward to. TR-77, contact General Grievous and Captain Lushros Dofine on the _Invisible Hand_ and warn them that the two Jedi legends, the so-called Negotiator and the so-called Hero With No Fear, have arrived and are homing in on his ship."_

"_Yes, sir," said TR-77, and he relayed the message immediately._

_Patriot Fist_ and Admiral Terakk both observed the two tiny Jedi starfighters weave with the speed and elegance of an eagle through the blasting warships, occasionally shooting down a vulture or tri- that got in the way. They were already getting close to their ship, but Terakk was ready for them.

"_Launch all remaining tri-fighters," she ordered._

Two dozen elite droid tri-fighters flew out of the hangar bay to cut off the Jedi. Unfortunately, Clone Flight Squad Seven, in their stupid looking ARC-170's and Nimbus-class V-Wings, were giving them protection from the Separatist fighters, and while many clone ships went down, the tri-fighters just couldn't land a shot on either ship. Even with the assistance of vulture droids launched from the _Invisible Hand,_ it wasn't doing much good.

Suddenly, there was another shot from a _Venator_-class cruiser nearby. It must have been one tough and powerful customer, because it hit _Patriot Fist_ right at the aft, and the shields were wiped out. Evidently, Skywalker and Kenobi were taking advantage of the moment, and fired their own laser cannons into the ship's weak armor. The giant engines were exploding rapidly, and the fuel cells were ignited. _Patriot Fist_ began to lose consciousness as she continued to break up.

It appeared that this time, _Patriot Fist_ was not going to make it out of this one alive, and neither was her crew. She knew this as Skywalker, the Jedi pilot who enjoyed flying more than the other, dove towards the bridge with his laser cannons blazing.

Admiral Terakk was still there with her whole bridge crew. Even in the face of certain death, she would not turn tail and attempt an escape, and not only because a successful escape was unlikely. She wouldn't abandon her friendship with the ship she had bonded with ever since the start of the Clone Wars, and it would be a coward's act to flee, anyway, unless they had a very good reason to flee. As her superstructure continued to break up, _Patriot Fist_ could hear, just barely, Aravis Terakk's last words. There were tears in her eyes as she said them.

"_The irony of war. I'm so sorry, Corey," she said sadly, but bravely, "I hope you'll understand. I love you, even to the end of time itself."_

The droid crew was silent. Even the chatty battle droids stayed silent and stood still.

Skywalker's lasers burst through the bridge.

No one even flinched in the last second before they were vaporized.

_Patriot Fist_ began to spin out of control as Skywalker rejoined Kenobi in charging the _Invisible Hand._ It looked like a losing battle now, but she hoped that the Separatist cause would still show a thing or two to the galaxy sometime. She also briefly wondered from Admiral Aravis Terakk's last words, if there was such a thing as life after death for a valiant and patriotic Separatist ship and her crew, both organic and inorganic.

She supposed that she would just have to wait and see if there was one.

As discord missiles containing buzz droids were launched from a vulture droid at Skywalker and Kenobi, _Patriot Fist_ crashed into a _Munificent_-class star frigate, and both ships self-destructed in the crash.

The last thing _Patriot Fist_ realized before fading was that the frigate was her friend, _Deep Thought._

* * *

Unfortunately, a few days later, the Separatist cause was lost, as well as the Jedi Order, to the Chancellor-turned-Emperor and his newly-minted clone stormtroopers, as well as a certain black-armored man/machine who was once General Skywalker, who together formed the monstrous Galactic Empire.

* * *

I made up the bit about how Anakin Skywalker diverged from course to take out Patriot Fist; I know that wasn't shown in _"Revenge of the Sith,"_ although the movie did briefly show a Commerce Guild support destroyer crashing and exploding into a Banking Clan frigate in the Battle of Coruscant.

**I hope you enjoyed this! Please R&R!**


End file.
